5 Ways to Help Abolish Racism in American Health Care
[fancy_heading h1=”1″ icon=”icon-lamp” style=”line” title=”5 Ways to Help Abolish Racism in American Health Care”]Studies show over 80,000 black American lives are lost each year because of inequality in health care.
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[fancy_heading h1=”0″ icon=”icon-lamp” style=”arrows” title=”1. Eliminate upfront charges to see doctors.”]Costly co-payments and deductibles pose a barrier to all of us seeking care, but they especially impact communities with lower average incomes. Per Forbes Magazine, in 2015 the typical black family earned about 64% of what the typical white family earned. [/fancy_heading]
[fancy_heading h1=”0″ icon=”icon-lamp” style=”arrows” title=”2. Base health insurance coverage on US residence, not on employment. “]Tying health care to getting a job hurts communities that suffer high unemployment rates. Even in 2016, after the economic recovery, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports black unemployment is 8.8%, vs 4.9% among whites.
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[fancy_heading h1=”0″ icon=”icon-lamp” style=”arrows” title=”3. Abolish drug formulary tiers. “]Charging more for medicines that treat certain illnesses is especially harmful to black communities. They often experience higher rates of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and asthma, as a result of socio-economic factors out of their control that affect housing, fresh food access and more.
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[fancy_heading h1=”0″ icon=”icon-lamp” style=”arrows” title=”4. Ensure hospitals are geographically located so that everyone can access the care they need.”]For some time hospitals have had an incentive to move to wealthier areas, to avoid having to give unreimbursed care to people who can’t afford it. Studies show that having fewer hospitals and ER departments results in higher mortality in low-income communities.
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[fancy_heading h1=”0″ icon=”icon-lamp” style=”arrows” title=”5. Stop “selling” healthcare like it’s a commodity.”]When health care is bought and sold, it results in cruel disparities based on wealth and race. Health care is a necessity – like air. It should be a human right, not a business.
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[fancy_heading h1=”0″ icon=”icon-lamp” style=”arrows” title=”The answer? Expand Medicare to everyone. Cover everybody for everything, no provider networks, no out-of-pocket costs.”]Get the facts – check out the links below. #BlackLivesMatter. And get involved! Join HEAL California. Together, we will win!
